Stumped on what to get your loved one (or yourself!) for Valentine’s Day?  Lucky for you, Miss Robin Orbeta-Lacambra (remember her last awesome DIY?) is back with a super affordable and super fun DIY project that’ll make anyone’s heart smile. Here’s how to make your very own chalkboard heart mug:

Materials:

- Mug (the Dollarama has a wide selection of white mugs!)

- Pebeo Porcelaine 150 Chalkboard Paint (available at Deserres)

- Paintbrush

- Sharpie

- Paper

 - Scissors

- Tape

1.  Get your mug nice and clean.

2.  Fold the piece of paper in half and draw half a heart.

3.  Cut your heart out.

4.  Put a little bit of tape on the heart and stick it on your mug.

5.  Trace around the heart with a Sharpie

6.  Fill in the heart with Pebeo Chalkboard Paint.  If you’re like me and don’t have steady hands, fear not.  Once the paint is dry, take a q-tip and some acetone (or hot water and elbow grease) to remove any unwanted paint slips.  You can remove any traces of the Sharpie outline in the same way.

7.  It will take a few coats to get the chalkboard heart nice and opaque. To give an example, I applied 5 coats to the mug on the right.  Make sure to let the paint dry completely before applying the next coat.  It takes about 15 mins for each coat to dry.  Once you’re done painting, let the paint set for 24hrs.

8.  Put your mug in the oven and set the oven to bake at 350C.  As soon as the oven reaches 350C, start a timer for 35 minutes.

9.  Turn off your oven and keep your mug inside until it is cool to touch.  It’s very important that the mug heats up and cools down gradually with the oven to prevent cracking as well as to ensure the paint is properly adhered to the mug.

VOILA! You’re done! Gift your mug with a piece of chalk and write sweet nothings on the heart.